Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds

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Kenny Babyface Edmonds:
If you were to closely examine the annals of modern pop music history, few creative forces have been more seminal or impacted the contemporary pop/urban genres as much as Babyface. In a relatively short time span, he has reached icon status as a poignant tunesmith, prolific hitmaker/producer, superstar recording artist and revolutionary label owner. He is a statistical juggernaut, who keeps adding milestone after milestone to a legacy that seems to have no threshold or peak in sight.

Simply stated, his credentials and the imprint that he has left on the evolution of contemporary pop music and a universal legion of fans is almost unfathomable. Edmonds is responsible for writing, producing, and/or performing a staggering 119 Top 10 pop hits as a songwriter, which include, 41 ..1 R&B hits and 51 Top-10 pop hits, including 16 ..1 pop hits. Albums and singles he's worked on have amassed sales that exceed 100 million units. Along the way, Edmonds has garnered countless accolades, winning 10 Grammy Awards including Producer of the Year for a history-making three years in a row (1995, '96, '97), which still stands as a Grammy record.

Babyface is an enigma; the best in terms of pure artistry. He dominates pop music like no other creative force can. Perhaps a mere dozen other singers share his ability to deliver a vocal style that can cross several music genre boundaries consistently. Out of those select few, only a handful possess multi-platinum status and write and produce their own material. And of those top-shelf artists you'd be hard pressed to name any that can use those same songwriting and producing skills to regularly churn out No. 1 songs for talents other than himself. Edmonds has lent his Midas touch to a prestigious list of superstars including Eric Clapton, Boyz II Men, Madonna, Whitney Houston, TLC, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Usher, Brandy, Celine Dion, Tevin Campbell, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams and many others.

It doesn't end there. He's an accomplished film and television composer whose skills were glowingly demonstrated with the unforgettable music for "Waiting to Exhale." That phenomenal soundtrack topped the pop albums chart, sold over seven million units and resulted in No. 1 hits by Whitney Houston, Brandy, Toni Braxton, and Mary J. Blige. He wrote fifteen songs on the album and produced all sixteen of the songs. In 1999, he received an Academy Award nomination for his music featured in the film "Anna and the King," starring Jodie Foster. Most recently he received his first Emmy nomination for the "Main Title Theme Music for Soulfood on Showtime," "That's The Way Love Goes," produced, performed and co-written by Babyface; co-written and performed by Al Green. "Soulfood" is an Edmonds Entertainment and State Street Pictures production in association with Paramount Networks for Showtime. There's more.

The creative skills and vision of Edmonds' and partner, Antonio "L.A." Reid, were a key component in the success of LaFace Records, the prosperous boutique label that was home to fertile progeny such as Usher, TLC, Toni Braxton, and OutKast. His business acumen also extends into the realm of film and television as cofounder along with wife, Tracey, of Edmonds Entertainment Group, Inc. E.E.G. is responsible for the wildly successful movie "Soul Food," which was spun off into the Emmy-nominated Showtime dramatic series of the same name. His foresight and vision is readily apparent on the Internet as well as via his partnership in the online music venture Tonos.com and his own leading edge artist site, BabyfaceMusic.com. BabyfaceMusic.com will be the first artist website to utilize S.O.A.P. (Simple Object Access Protocol) software that will translate the website into numerous foreign languages, allowing more fans of an artist than ever around the globe to experience the site.

Though he's realized the success in so many different entertainment arenas, for Edmonds, he's most comfortable working in his own studio, Brandon's Way (named for his first born son), where he has done the bulk of his recording and production over the past several years.